Confusion as Both Museveni and Muhoozi Camps Announce Father and Son Will Stand for President in 2031

KAMPALA — Confusion is growing inside Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) over who will seek the presidency in 2031 after senior figures close to President Yoweri Museveni and Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba appeared to announce competing political futures for the father and son.

On one side, Kasambya County MP Daudi Kabanda, a senior figure in the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), announced that Gen Kainerugaba would contest the presidency in 2031 and claimed that President Museveni had agreed to endorse his son.

On the other, Minister for the Presidency Milly Babirye Babalanda declared that Museveni remains committed to serving Ugandans beyond 2031, effectively suggesting that the veteran president himself intends to remain politically active at the highest level after the next general election.

The conflicting declarations have immediately raised questions about whether Uganda’s ruling establishment is preparing for a father-to-son transition in 2031 or whether Museveni intends to seek another term before eventually handing over power.

Muhoozi camp announces 2031 bid

Kabanda made his announcement on September 1, 2026, during a press conference at the PLU offices, where he addressed journalists and Members of Parliament.

He said Gen Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces and PLU chairman, had personally communicated his intention to contest for the presidency at the next general election.

“General Muhoozi Kainerugaba has told me to inform you that he will run for President 2031–2036,” Kabanda said.

The MP then went further, saying Museveni had given his blessing to his son’s presidential ambitions.

“I would like to also let you know that His Excellency the President has promised to endorse Afande MK come the next general elections in 2031,” he said.

The announcement came only days after Kainerugaba publicly declared that he would seek Uganda’s highest political office.

“I will stand for the highest office in the land in 2031. And we will win by the grace of Almighty God,” Gen Kainerugaba wrote on X.

His declaration was significant because Kainerugaba is not only a senior military officer but also chairs the PLU, a political organisation closely associated with his supporters.

The 2031 announcement therefore places the succession question firmly at the centre of Uganda’s political debate, even though the next presidential election remains several years away.

Babalanda delivers a different message

While the Muhoozi camp was presenting 2031 as the beginning of Kainerugaba’s presidential era, Babalanda was delivering a markedly different message at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi.

Addressing district political and technical leaders from Ankole, Kasese, Bunyoro, Tooro and Kigezi sub-regions, the minister said Museveni remained committed to governing Uganda beyond 2031.

Her remarks were made as she addressed local government leaders on implementation of the NRM’s 2026–2031 manifesto and the Fourth National Development Plan.

Babalanda argued that Museveni still has unfinished work, particularly in transforming households from subsistence production into the money economy and fighting corruption.

“The NRM Government has moved Uganda from scarcity to surplus. We now produce enough food, we have tarmac roads connecting the country, electricity coverage has expanded, and security is guaranteed. But the President’s ultimate target is clear: moving all 39% of Ugandans still in subsistence into the money economy using wealth creation Programs like PDM, Emyooga, Operation Wealth Creation, Emyooga etc as direct weapons against poverty. The President also has to finish the war on corruption. Therefore, he is here 2031 and beyond to finish the unfinished business,” she said.

The statement appears to directly complicate the succession message coming from the PLU camp.

If Babalanda’s declaration is interpreted as support for another Museveni presidential bid, it would mean the president could potentially face the 2031 election at the same time his son is seeking the same office.

Father and son on the same political track?

The unusual situation raises an obvious question: How can Museveni contest for the presidency in 2031 while simultaneously endorsing Muhoozi for the same election?

Neither of the statements provided an explanation for the apparent contradiction.

Kabanda spoke specifically about Museveni endorsing Muhoozi for the 2031–2036 presidency, while Babalanda said Museveni would be “here 2031 and beyond.”

That leaves several possible interpretations.

Babalanda could have been referring to Museveni remaining politically active and serving in another capacity after 2031 rather than necessarily contesting the presidency.

Alternatively, her remarks could signal that sections of the NRM still expect Museveni to remain the presidential candidate beyond his current political cycle.

Kabanda’s statement, meanwhile, represents one of the clearest declarations yet from the Muhoozi camp that the general intends to seek the presidency in 2031.

The succession question moves into the open

For years, the question of who will eventually succeed Museveni has remained one of Uganda’s most politically sensitive subjects.

Kainerugaba’s rise through the military and political establishment has increasingly brought the succession debate into the open.

His position as Chief of Defence Forces gives him a prominent role in the country’s security structure, while his leadership of the PLU provides him with an increasingly visible political platform.

His public declaration that he will contest in 2031 has now been followed by an announcement from Kabanda that Museveni will endorse him.

But Babalanda’s remarks demonstrate that the succession question may not yet have a settled answer within the ruling establishment.

Her speech at NALI was primarily focused on implementing the 2026–2031 manifesto, improving service delivery and increasing household incomes. However, her explicit statement that Museveni will be “here 2031 and beyond” has injected a fresh element of uncertainty into an already delicate political question.

Museveni’s political future under scrutiny

Museveni, who has dominated Uganda’s political landscape for decades, secured another term in the 2026 presidential election.

The question of what happens when that term approaches its end has therefore become increasingly important for the NRM and its supporters.

The emergence of competing messages from senior figures is likely to intensify speculation about the succession strategy.

For the Muhoozi camp, the message is straightforward: the general intends to run in 2031 and believes he can win.

For those backing Museveni’s continued leadership, Babalanda’s statement suggests that the president’s political journey is not necessarily expected to end in 2031.

The two messages cannot easily be reconciled if both are understood to mean that Museveni and Muhoozi will seek the presidency in the same election.

For now, however, neither statement amounts to a formal presidential nomination. The declarations instead offer an early glimpse into what could become one of Uganda’s most consequential political battles: whether the NRM’s next presidential transition will happen in 2031, and whether it will involve Museveni handing power to his son or seeking to extend his own presidency.

The contradiction has consequently placed the father-and-son succession question at the heart of Uganda’s political conversation years before voters return to the polls.

It should be remembered that Muhoozi previously hinted on Gen Salim Saleh succeeding Museveni, as reported Here.